The Bible in History and Western Culture

Transcription

1 Repetition 1. The Books of the Old Testament A. Three major genres, a symmetric arrangement, 39 books 17 Historical books 5 Books of Wisdom, Poetry and Prayer 5 Books of Torah Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numeri Deuteronomy 12 Books of History Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon 17 Prophetic books 5 Major Prophets Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel 12 Minor Prophets Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zachariah Malachi Dieter Mitternacht

2 1. The Books of the Old Testament B. Books arranged according to story chronology, 46 books (incl. apocrypha) Leviticus Deuteronomy Ruth 1 Chronicles 2 Tobit Chronicles Esther Judith 2 Maccabees Genesis Exodus Numbers Joshua Judges 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings Exile Ezra Nehemiah 1 Maccabees Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Ezekiel Daniel Baruch Haggai Malachi Zechariah Sirach Wisdom To Israel Hosea Amos To Assyria Jonah Nahum To Judah Habakkuk Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Joel Micah Zephaniah To Edom Obadjah

3 2. The Deuteronomistic History (Martin Noth, 1943) A. Characteristics Story: Time: Books: Key themes: From Israel s last days in the desert to the fall of the monarchy From around 1400 BCE to 721 BCE in the North and 587 BCE in the South. Deuteronomium 5 th book of Torah Joshua Judges 1 Samuel 2 Samuel The importance of law and covenants A broad sense of retributive justice (faithful = prosper; unfaithful = are punished) A single sanctuary, the Temple in Jerusalem (rejection of Bethel, Shechem, Hebron) Exclusive worship of YHWH as the God of Israel (cf Deutero-Isaiah He alone is God ) 1 Kings 2 Kings

4 3. The Deuteronomistic Principle B. Deuteronomy 28:1-2,15 If you will only obey the LORD your God, by diligently observing all his commandments that I am commanding you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth; 2 all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the LORD your God 15 But if you will not obey the LORD your God by diligently observing all his commandments and decrees, which I am commanding you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you 你若留意听从耶和华你神的话, 谨守遵行他的一切诫命, 就是我今日所吩咐你的, 他必使你超乎天下万民之上 (2) 你若听从耶和华你神的话, 这以下的福必追随你, 临到你身上 : (15) 你若不听从耶和华你神的话, 不谨守遵行他的一切诫命律例, 就是我今日所吩咐你的, 这以下的咒诅都必追随你, 临到你身上 :

5 4. A Major Prophet: Isaiah The book of Isaiah is a unified literary composition of 66 chapters. But there are thematic and theological shifts in content that seem to suggest a threefold division. Major Divisions of Isaiah Division Date Historical Events Themes First Isaiah chs 1-39 Second Isaiah chs Third Isaiah chs th cent BCE Wars between Judah, Israel and Syria judgment and destruction mid-6 th cent BCE Cyrus of Persia, Exiles in Babylon restoration and renewal late 6 th cent BCE Postexilic live in Judah economic and political instability

6 4. A Major Prophet: Isaiah C. Hope for the Future of the World Isaiah 2:2-4 2 In days to come the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. 3 Many peoples shall come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 末後的日子, 耶和华殿的山必坚立, 超乎诸山, 高举过於万岭 ; 万民都要流归这山 (3) 必有许多国的民前往, 说 : 来吧, 我们登耶和华的山, 奔雅各神的殿 主必将他的道教训我们 ; 我们也要行他的路 因为训诲必出於锡安 ; 耶和华的言语必出於耶路撒冷 (4) 他必在列国中施行审判, 为许多国民断定是非 他们要将刀打成犁头, 把枪打成镰刀 这国不举刀攻击那国 ; 他们也不再学习战事

7 4. A Major Prophet: Isaiah C. Hope for the Future of the World Isaiah 11:1-5 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD 5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. 从他根生的枝子必结果实 (2) 耶和华的灵必住在他身上, 就是使他有智慧和聪明的灵, 谋略和能力的灵, 知识和敬畏耶和华的灵 (5) 公义必当他的腰带 ; 信实必当他胁下的带子

8 4. A Major Prophet: Isaiah C. Hope for the Future of the World Isaiah 11:6-9 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 豺狼必与绵羊羔同居, 豹子与山羊羔同卧 ; 少壮狮子与牛犊并肥畜同群 ; 小孩子要牵引他们 (7) 牛必与熊同食 ; 牛犊必与小熊同卧 ; 狮子必吃草, 与牛一样 (8) 吃奶的孩子必玩耍在虺蛇的洞口 ; 断奶的婴儿必按手在毒蛇的穴上 (9) 在我圣山的遍处, 这一切都不伤人, 不害物 ; 因为认识耶和华的知识要充满遍地, 好像水充满洋海一般

9 Jan Bruegel Paradise

10 Edward Hicks The Peaceable Kingdom

11 1. The Books of the Old Testament 2. The Deuteronomistic History 3. The Deuteronomistic Principle 4. A Major Prophet: Isaiah 5. A Poetic Book: Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) A. An Investigation of Life through reason and experience Contrary to the Deuteronomistic principle, the author of this book refuses to give simple answers to human pain, suffering and the search for meaning in life. Rather, what we meet here is a hard and lonely theology. The author combines believe in a just God with Frustration and disillusionment at life s injustices and human failure

12 5. A Poetic Book: Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) A. An Investigation of Life through reason and experience B. Author, Date and Structure Qoheleth = public teacher, Ecclesiastes = member of the assembly Traditionally identified with king Solomon, the epitome of the wise and wealthy king Scholars today would argue that Qoheleth is a persona = a fictional figure through whom the author speaks. The language of the book is late and dated to the 3 rd cent BCE. The book is structured as a numerical composition and with called refrains. The body divides into two parts: Introduction 1:1-18 (18 vv) Part 1 2:1-6:9 (93 vv) refrains: vanity and a chase after wind Part 2 6:10-11:6 (93 vv) refrains: find and not know Conclusion 11:7-12:14 (18 vv) C. Wisdom Literature Qoheleth belongs to the literary category Wisdom literature. Most likely, the biblical texts draw on Egyptian and Mesopotamian Wisdom, such as The Book of Ahiqar, which was probably known to the author of Ecclesiastes. Wisdom literature offers advice on how to succeed in life reflection on the meaning and the problems of life

13 5. A Poetic Book: Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) A. An Investigation of Life through reason and experience B. Author, Date and Structure C. Wisdom Literature D. Ecclesiastes and Philosophy Ecclesiastes is the closest the Bible comes to Philosophy. No recourse to revelation or tradition. Instead, the author states that he set out to study and probe with wisdom all that happens under the sun. The most radical assertion in the book (as part of the Bible) is that an individual can and should search for truth by means of his own powers of perception and reasoning. No external truths, no doctrines, no traditions to which the conclusions must conform. For Hellenistic popular philosophy, the main concern is the pursuit of happiness by the use of the powers of reason. Epicureans happiness through pleasure Stoics happiness through control of desires and passions Similarly the Qoheleth sets himself to discover: what is good for men to do under the heavens during the few days of their life (2:3)

14 5. A Poetic Book: Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) A. An Investigation of Life through reason and experience B. Author, Date and Structure C. Wisdom Literature D. Ecclesiastes and Philosophy E. The Meaning of Life The Deuteronomistic Principle Affirmation! The faithful will prosper! The unfaithful will be punished! Qoheleth s Problem Affirmation, but The faithful should prosper! The unfaithful should be punished! Those that toil should get to enjoy the fruits of their work. It is good to be wise, but in the end the wise and the fool should end their lives differently BUT in observation and experience the principle fails! Thus, the Qoheleth is concerned about the collapse of meaning

15 5. A Poetic Book: Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) A. An Investigation of Life through reason and experience B. Author, Date and Structure C. Wisdom Literature D. Ecclesiastes and Philosophy E. The Meaning of Life F. Religious Value Validates the need for a critical assessment of theology, conventional wisdom and piety Important insistence on enjoyment of life that balances the emphases on asceticism Negative assessment of a workaholic mentality that equates activism with religious dedication Affirms the validity of the experience of God at a distance, as opposed to the requirement of personal relationship

16 5. A Poetic Book: Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) Ecclesiastes 1:2-9 2 Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. 3 What do people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun? 4 A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises and the sun goes down, and hurries to the place where it rises. 6 The wind blows to the south, and goes around to the north; round and round goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. 7 All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they continue to flow. 8 All things are wearisome; more than one can express; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, or the ear filled with hearing. 9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. 传道者说 : 虚空的虚空, 虚空的虚空, 凡事都是虚空 (3) 人一切的劳碌, 就是他在日光之下的劳碌, 有什麽益处呢? (4) 一代过去, 一代又来, 地却永远长存 (5) 日头出来, 日头落下, 急归所出之地 (6) 风往南刮, 又向北转, 不住的旋转, 而且返回转行原道 (7) 江河都往海里流, 海却不满 ; 江河从何处流, 仍归还何处 (8) 万事令人厌烦 ( 或作 : 万物满有困乏 ), 人不能说尽 眼看, 看不饱 ; 耳听, 听不足 (9) 已有的事後必再有 ; 已行的事後必再行 日光之下并无新事 Discuss: Do you believe in progress? Is the future different from the past? Is history moving forward or in circles?

17 5. A Poetic Book: Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) Ecclesiastes 2: Then I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. 14 The wise have eyes in their head, but fools walk in darkness. Yet I perceived that the same fate befalls all of them. 15 Then I said to myself, "What happens to the fool will happen to me also; why then have I been so very wise?" And I said to myself that this also is vanity. 16 For there is no enduring remembrance of the wise or of fools, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How can the wise die just like fools? 17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind. 我便看出智慧胜过愚昧, 如同光明胜过黑暗 (14) 智慧人的眼目光明 ( 光明 : 原文作在他头上 ), 愚昧人在黑暗里行 我却看明有一件事, 这两等人都必遇见 (15) 我就心里说 : 愚昧人所遇见的, 我也必遇见, 我为何更有智慧呢? 我心里说, 这也是虚空 (16) 智慧人和愚昧人一样, 永远无人记念, 因为日後都被忘记 ; 可叹智慧人死亡, 与愚昧人无异 (17) 我所以恨恶生命 ; 因为在日光之下所行的事我都以为烦恼, 都是虚空, 都是捕风 Discuss: What is the purpose of gaining wisdom? What is the purpose of remembering the dead? How many generations back do you remember in your family?

18 5. A Poetic Book: Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. 凡事都有定期, 天下万务都有定时 (2) 生有时, 死有时 ; 栽种有时, 拔出所栽种的也有时 ; (3) 杀戮有时, 医治有时 ; 拆毁有时, 建造有时 ; (4) 哭有时, 笑有时 ; 哀恸有时, 跳舞有时 ; (5) 抛掷石头有时, 堆聚石头有时 ; 怀抱有时, 不怀抱有时 ; (6) 寻找有时, 失落有时 ; 保守有时, 舍弃有时 ; (7) 撕裂有时, 缝补有时 ; 静默有时, 言语有时 ; (8) 喜爱有时, 恨恶有时 ; 争战有时, 和好有时 Discuss: What does it mean to say that there is a season (a right time ) for everything? What does it mean to accept this view for one s life?

19 1. The Books of the Old Testament 2. The Deuteronomistic History 3. The Deuteronomistic Principle 4. A Major Prophet: Isaiah 5. A Poetic Book: Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) 6. The book of Daniel

20 6. The book of Daniel Two parts 1) a series of six narratives (chapters one to six) which focus on tests of religious fidelity involving Daniel and his friends (chapters one, three and six), and Daniel's interpretation of royal dreams and visions (chapters two, four and five). 2) four apocalyptic visions (chapters seven to twelve)., where Daniel recounts his reception of dreams, visions and angelic interpretations. The Story After being taken captive to Babylon, children of the Israelite who were considered among the finest were taken into the king's service. Among these were Daniel; Hananiah; Mishael; and Azariah. The Babelonians changed there names Daniel became Belteshazzar; Hananiah became Shadrach; Mishael became Meshach; and Azariah became Abednego. During the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, they were trained in all wisdom and science, in order to enter into the King's service. Upon completion of the three year induction, they enter the king's service and in matters of wisdom, literature, and learning. are judged "ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in the kingdom". Daniel, moreover, has a unique talent for interpreting dreams and visions.

21 B i b l e h i s t o r y T i m e l i n e 6. The book of Daniel The Dream Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylonia, is troubled by recurrent nightmares that he refuses to tell his dream interpreters. He threatens his dream interpreters with death and destruction of their property if they do not tell him the dream, as well as the interpretation. The God of Heaven the reveals the dream and the interpretation to Daniel (2:19), who explains it to Nebuchadnezzar as presaging what shall be "in the last days. The Statue Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that he dreamed of a large, brilliant statue standing before him. This statue had a head made of fine gold, a chest and arms of silver, a belly of brass, legs of iron, and feet made partly of iron and partly of clay. Then a stone, cut out without the use of hands, strikes the statue on its feet of iron and clay, smashing the entire idol into dust. The stone becomes a great mountain that fills the whole earth.

22 B i b l e h i s t o r y T i m e l i n e 6. The book of Daniel Daniel s interpretation Then Daniel tells the king what his dream it means.: Nebuchadnezzar himself, king of Babylonia, is the gold head of the statue. After Babylonia will come another empire that is of inferior quality to his, represented by the chest and arms of silver. After that empire will come a third one of brass Then there will be a the fourth empire of crushing iron, that crushes all others. This fourth empire will later be divided and end up as the feet and toes that are partly clay and partly iron. The rock, presumably is represented by the last sentence: "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." (2. 44, KJV). Thus, the statue in the vision represents a series of earthly kingdoms that will start in the days of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and end with the establishment of God's kingdom.

23 B i b l e h i s t o r y T i m e l i n e 6. The book of Daniel Identification of the four kingdoms Over the centuries, scholars have proposed two alternative views regarding the identification of the four kingdoms in Daniel 2. One view, prevalent among Christian scholars, at least as far back as Hippolytus (including Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Martin Luther); it has also been supported by some Jewish expositors (including Japet Ibn Ali, Saadia, Rashi, Abraham Ibn Ezra. The sequence is as follows: The gold head - Babylon The silver breast and arms - Medo-Persia The copper belly and thighs - Greece The iron legs - Rome Another view has been more popular among Jewish scholars, at least as far back as Flavius Josephus. The proposed sequence is: The gold head - Babylon The silver breast and arms - Media The copper belly and thighs - Persia The iron legs - Greece The feet partly of iron and partly of molded clay - The Seleucids and the Ptolemies

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25 B i b l e h i s t o r y T i m e l i n e 6. The book of Daniel The Writing on the Wall Belshazzar, a later the king of Babylon, and his nobles celebrate a feast, where they blasphemously drink from sacred Jewish temple vessels, offering praise to inanimate gods. Suddenly a hand mysteriously appears to the king and writes upon the wall of the palace. Mene, Mene Tekel Upharsin The horrified king eventually summons Daniel who is able to read the writing and offer the following interpretation: Mene, Mene God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Upharsin Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

26 Belshazzar Rembrandt

27 6. The book of Daniel Darius the Mede "That very night Belshazzar was slain and "Darius the Mede" took over the kingdom. Daniel is elevated to a preeminent position under Darius which elicits the jealousy of other officials. Knowing of Daniel's devotion to his God, other officials trick the king into issuing an edict forbidding worship of any other god or man for a 30 day period. Daniel in the Lion s Den Because Daniel continues to pray three times a day to God towards Jerusalem, he is accused and king Darius, forced by his own decree, throws Daniel into the lions' den. God shuts up the mouths of the lions and the next morning king Darius finds Daniel unharmed and casts his accusers and their families into the lions' pit where they are instantly devoured.

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